Do Capacitively Coupled Electric Fields Accelerate Tibial Stress Fracture Healing

摘要

A convenience sample based on availability of tibial stress fracture cases at local Sports Medicine Clinics will be selected over 2-3 years until forty subjects (20 male, 20 female) have been treated. The study is designed to be able to determine if electric field stimulation accelerates the healing of tibial stress fracture and whether there are gender effects. Only posteromedial mid to distal third and proximal medical tibial condylar stress fractures will be investigated. Four imaging approaches will be used at diagnosis (radiographs, bone scan, MRI and CT). All subjects will be identically treated in a double blind fashion using active or passive electric field stimulator devices that apply a sinusoidal wave of 3-6 V, 60 KHz, 5-10 mA, wearing the units for 15-20 hours per day, primary at night, and other standardized rehabilitation treatments, until healed and not longer then 6 months. Subjects will be considered healed when hopping on the affected leg is no longer painful. Only MRI will be used for follow-up studies. A grading system will be developed for each of the diagnostic methods and compared to the ability of the MRI grading system to predict time to recovery.